RobRoy

I have just acquired a new 2002 Maxima GLE, and I'd like to get some advice concerning the specified service requirements from some of the old Maxima hands out there.

Page 13 of the Service and Maintenance Guide specifies the driving conditions for the various levels of maintenance. The Preferred Maintenance level, while a "Nissan-recommended option, seems like it is more suited to a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce or Bently. My driving is primarily highway, with some medium-distance local trips included, an approx. 80/20 mix. I don't drive under the conditions listed for Schedule 1, so I plan to use Schedule 2, the minimum service requirement. I also plan to install Mobil 1 during the first service ( at approx. 4,000 kms) in March 2002. Thereafter I will have my car serviced at 6 month intervals, as recommended in Schedule 2 (I would rarely exceed the 12,000 km requirement in a six-month period). Also, recognizing that Schedule 2 is a minimum requirement, I plan to use the Schedule1 maintenance list for the appropriate 6 and 12 month checks.

I have checked with my dealer's service manager and with Nissan customer service to ensure that I'm not in any way compromising my warranty. But a warranty is one thing, proper maintainance is another. What I need to know from you experienced Maxima drivers is: (1) What are your opinions on the Schedule 2 maintenance plan, and (2) What are some items that need to be replaced or re-filled before the minimum specified in Schedule 2?

theMax

Best bet is to tune your maintenance to your car.

Mobil 1 has lasted some folks on this board more than 7500 miles. I would recommend changing your first oil change of mobil 1 at 3000 miles and sending a sample to blackstonelabs to see how it is doing. Then you can see if your drivng style will let you extend the drain interval

)blackstone labs test kit

As for the service reccomendations... I would not go longer than 30K for tranny fluid or 2 years for green coolant. Inspect everything else as in the manual and replace as needed. (brake pads, plugs, air filter etc)

Also see the oil analysis sticky

dmbmaxima2k2

iTrader: (1)

if your gonna use mobil one i would just go with 6K oil change intervals with a nissan filter. don't go by time, go by miles. most of us here that use mobil 1 go 6K miles.

RobRoy

Thanks, guys, for your advice. I still plan to switch to Mobil 1 but will use a drain interval of 10,000 kms (approx. 6,000 mi.) or six month whichever comes first. That also ties in with my driving habits, as I would rarely exceed 20,000 kms/year.

I'm intrigued by the recommendation to change the transmission fluid at 30,000 miles. That's an even shorter inteval than recommended for "severe service." Is there something about Nissan transmissions that neither the advertisements nor the service guide is telling us? Or are you referring to manual transmissions (I have a GLE with automatic).

Albertt

You won't be doing complete flushes so it's not that outrageous of a thing to do. I think that a drain and fill at 30K, another at 45K, 70K and a complete flush at 100K would do your transmission good. Nissan trannies are not the most durable, but if treated properly, they will last. My car has 110K miles and due to my care, it does not suffer from slippage and has plenty of line pressure.

theMax

yes, I drain and fill tranny fluid, and change the filter and gasket (auto) every 30K miles on all my cars (haven't done this on my max yet, only 9K miles). In this process you change about 1/2 of your fluid. The rest does not come out unless you use a machine and flush. Tranny's are usually the weak link in most cars so I baby them.